Web clamping unit for articles of furniture



1; 1936- s. s. BERNSTEiN WEB CLAMPING UNIT FOR ARTICLES OF FURNITURE FiELed Feb. 27, 1933 INVENTOIQ 5AMuEL 5. BERNSTEIN ATTORNEY a bottom portion of the seat frame.

Patented Jan. 21, 1936 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE WEB GLAMPING UNIT FOR ARTICLES F FURNITURE Samuel S. Bernstein, Los Angeles, Calif.

Application February 27, 1933, Serial No. 658,768

4 Claims.

' general type shown and described in my United States Letters Patent Nos. 1,888,582 and 1,774,696, such construction being especially adapted for use in connection with beds, seats, upholstered chairs, davenports and the like.

Like the devices of my former patents, the device contemplated by this invention has for its primary object the production of a bottom supporting structure consisting of a plurality of crossed webs or flexible strips mounted in the Although I am aware of the fact that flexible strips of this nature have been used before in the construction of furniture, these strips have, so far as I am aware, been secured to the frame by means of tacks or nails. In my former patents, referred to above, I provide means for individually adjusting the different strips so as to correct for any slack or sagging which may occur therein after a period of-continued use. Even in the structures shown in my former patents, the forward ends of the strips which engage the front of the seat frame are secured thereto by means of tacks or nails.

It, therefore, becomes one object of this invention to provide a construction wherein none of the strips is engaged by tacks or nails. In accomplishing this object, I provide the seat frame with an auxiliary frame, preferably formed of angle pieces of metal suitably secured together and mounted in the seat frame, the strips in this form of my invention being mounted in the auxiliary frame.

It is a. further object of this invention to provide resilient or spring means for connecting the strips to the frame and also to provide means for individually adjusting the various strips.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a novel means for connecting or securing the strips in the frame, such means including a novel type of connection wherein the entire width of the strip is subjected to a gripping action so that every fibre in the webbing carries its share of the load strain.

In this connection, it is a further feature that the adjustment, referred to above, is effected in the strip itself, although means may be provided for adjusting the tension in the webbing through the medium of a webbing supporting shackle.

The details in the construction of a preferred form of my invention, together with other objects attending its production, will be best understood from the following description of the accompanying drawing which is chosen for illustrative purposes only, and in which- Fig. 1 is an inverted plan view showing the seat frame of an article of furniture equipped with the preferred form of my invention;

Fig. 2 is a sectional view taken in a plane represented by the line 2-2 in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a perspective view showing a preferred form of shackle and shackle connection contemplated by this invention;

Fig. 4 is a perspective view showing a preferred construction in the front member of an auxiliary frame contemplated by this invention;

Fig. 5 is a plan view showing a modified form of shackle contemplated by this invention; and

Fig. 6 is a perspective view partly broken away showing another modified form of shackle.

More particularly describing the invention as herein illustrated, reference numeral ll indicates the seat frame of a chair or the like, which is supported by front legs l2 and rear legs l3, and is shown as comprising side rails 14 and I4, front rails l5, and a back rail 16.

Mounted in the seat frame I l by means of screws I1, I provide, what I may term, a subframe or an auxiliary frame I8, such frame comprising a front member 19, a rear member 20, and side members 2| and 2|.

As will appear from Figs. 2 and 3, the auxiliary frame consists of angle members which have inwardly extending flanges 22, such flanges being apertured, as indicated at 23, to receive the hook portions 24 of tension springs25. The free ends 26 of the tension springs are received in apertures 21 formed in, what I may term, plate members or shackles 28 which constitute the means for supporting the flexible strips or webbing strips 29.

The plate member or shackle member 28 is provided with a slot 30 and is preferably rolled as indicated at 3| and 3| so that a loop or folded end portion 32 of the webbing strip 29 may be readily inserted through the slot.

The webbing is mounted and secured in the shackle by first forming the loop or fold 32, then inserting the same through the slot 30, after which a retaining member, such as a loose baror pin 34, is inserted in the looped portion of the fold.

After the webbing is placed in tension, this bar binds the looped portion thereof in the slotted plate, thereby gripping each fibre of the webbing and securely locking the same in position.

In order to prevent endwise movement of the bar in the loop, I provide the shackle plate with downwardly extending flanges 35. When it is desired to remove the webbing or tighten the same, the plate is moved forwardly against the action of the tension spring so as to: loosen the gripping action of the webbing after which the webbing can be pushed downwardly a suitable distance to remove the pin in the event the webbing is to be removed or to permit the inward movement of the free end of the loop or fold when the webbing is to be tightened. It will be observed that this loop or fold is what may be termed a loose fold in that there are no staples, sewing, or other securing means therein.

Since it is usually desirable to have the front ends of the webbing strips, which extend from the front to the rear of the frame, rigidly secured to the front of the frame, I provide the flange 22 on the front member ill with slots 3% which are spaced apart and which are associated with rolled portions similar to the slots in the shackles.

The slots 38 receive loops or folds on the front end portions of the strips and the looped ends of the folds, which extend through these slots, receive bars or rods 3 2- for securing the front end portions of the webbing in place. Fig. 4 clearly illustrates the manner in which a strip is installed in the slotted member.

In Fig. 5, I show a modified form of shackle member which is made by bending a single piece of wire or rod do to form a longflat loop 4i which comprises the slot that receives the looped end of a webbing strip 29, which is locked in place by a pin similar to the pin 3 3. The wireis formed in a return bend 32, which in turn is provided with projections s3 and 33' which receive tension springs In Fig. 6, I show another modified form of shackle member, such member being made of resilient metal which is bent to form a stirrup 45. The open end of this stirrup is provided with a pair of spaced rods or bars and 56 which form a slot adapted to receive the looped end portion l'l of a webbing strip 48. The looped end portion of the webbing strip receives a rod 49 so that this connection is in effect the same as those described above.

This type of shackle may be connected through suitable means to the auxiliary frame described in connection with Fig. 1, but, in view of its inherent resilience, it lends itself to direct connection with the main seat frame through the medium of a bolt 5E3 which extends through an aperture provided in the central portion of the shackle member and is provided with a single nut 5! to permit its adjustment.

It is to be understood that, while I have herein described and illustrated one preferred form of my invention, the invention is not to be limited to the precise construction described herein but includes within its scope whatever changes fairly come within the spirit of the appended claims.

I claim as my invention:

1. In an article of furniture having a seat frame: a flanged frame mounted in said seat frame and having a plurality of slots in the flange on one side thereof; a plurality of flexible strips each having a loose fold on one end thereof inserted through one of said slots; retaining means 5 in the loops of said folds for holding same against movement through said slots; spring means attached to the side of said frame opposite said slotted flange; a plurality of slotted plates secured to said spring means, said strips having loose folds forming loops on their other ends extending through the slots in said slotted members; and retaining means in said last mentioned loops for holding them against movement through said slots.

2. In an article of furniture having a seat frame: a slotted flange member mounted on one side of said frame; a flexible strip having a loose fold on one end inserted through the slot in said flange member; retaining means in the loop of said fold for holding same against movement through said slot; and resilient means for securing the other end of said strip to the opposite side of said frame, said last mentioned means comprising spring means attached to the side of the frame opposite said slotted flange member, a slotted plate secured to said spring means, a loose fold in the other end of said strip extending through the slot in said plate, and retaining means in said last mentioned loop for holding the strip against movement through said last mentioned slot.

3. In an article of furniture having a seat frame: a flanged member mounted on one side of said seat frame and having a plurality of slots therein; a plurality of flexible strips, each having a loose fold on one end thereof inserted through one of said slots; retaining means in the loops of said folds for holding same against movement through said slots; spring means attached to the 40 side of said frame opposite said slotted flange member; a plurality of slotted plates secured to said spring means, said strips having loose folds forming loops on their other ends extending through the slots in said slotted plates; and retaining means in said last mentioned loops for holding them against movement through said slots.

4. In an article of furniture having a seat frame: a slotted flange member mounted on one 50 side of said frame; a flexible strip having a loose fold on one end inserted through the slot in said flange member; retaining means in the loop of said fold for holding same against movement through said slot; and means for securing the other end of said strip to the opposite side of said frame, said last mentioned means comprising a slotted member, yieldable means securing said slotted member to said frame, a loose fold in the other end of said strip extending through the slot in said slotted member, and retaining means in said last mentioned fold for holding the strip against movement through said last mentioned slot.

SAMUEL s. BERNSTEIN. 

